by Par1iamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary—General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 19th August l983:
DAP calls on IGP to direct to all police investigations into complaints against police brutality and atrocities should be completed within one month to gain public confidence that the police would be objective arid impartial in cases.
At the recently—concluded Parliamentary meeting, I had tabled an oral question to ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Musa Hitam, the result of police investigations into the police shooting incident in Batu Pahat on 15th May 1983 where a fisherman, Gan Kim Guan, 19, was killed when on a motor—cycle carrying a pillion at about 3.50 a.m. after a night’s vigil at a funeral parlour for a friend’s father who passed away.
The question, put down for August 1, 1983, was not answered during the question hour, but I have just received the written reply which stated that investigations into the shooting and killing of Gan Kim Guan is in the final stage, and when completed, the investigation papers would be submitted to the DPP for his instructions.
I am shocked that the police investigation into the police killing of Gan Kim Guan should take such a long time, where after three months, the police investigations have not been completed. In cases of public complaints and reports against police brutality, atrocity and killing, no fresh investigations by the police are required, in the sense that there are ‘wanted people’ on the loose whom the police could not contact. In all such cases, the people who could help in investigations are available, and all that is required is for the Police to act with efficiency and speed to record, statements from them and complete investigations
I call on the Inspector—General of Police, Tan Sri Haniff Omar, to issue a directive to all police officials to complete invetigations into complaints against police brutality and atroeities within one month to gain public confidence that the police would be objective and impartial, and would not drag their feet in such cases. I would write to Tan Sri Haniff Omar expressing my corcern at the inordinate delay in completing investigations into the killing of Gan Kim Guan, which had shocked the whole town of Batu Pahat as well as the people of Malaysia, and to suggest that the Police must act speedily to complete all such reports against police personnel in future in the interest of enhancing police image and integrity in public mind.
2. DAP deplores Wanita UMNO resolution on extension of NEP to Year 2,000
The speeches and resolutions at the UMNO Youth and UNNO Wanita Assemblies yesterday are most disturbing to Malaysians who want the country to move forward towards greater national unity and sense of purpose where there would be less empasis arid pre—occupation with race and more stress on common national destiny of all Malaysians.
For instance, the Wanita UMNO resolution urging the Government to extend the New Economic Policy to the year 2,000 is not only a very clear repudiation of solemn undertaking that the NEP’s racial quotas and percentages, which been a principal cause of greater racial polarisation in the country in the 1970s and 1900s, would terminate in the year 1990, it appears to be a clever attempt to distract attention from the issues and problems confronting the country. There was no concern or interest in the gross betrayal of public trust and NEP goals, as in the billion—dollar Bumiputra Malaysia Finance loans to three Hong Kong companies, but new slogans and catch— phrases like ‘NEP to Year 2,000’ which could arouse passions and disregard real issues in the country; deemed to dominate delegate thinking.
I would urge UMNO delegates not to forget that non—Malay Malaysians are following closely the speeches and resolutions at their General Assemblies, and that they must break away from the past practice where every new UMNO General Assembly only succeed in raising by one notdh higher the anxieties arid apprehensions of Malaysians who want this country to belong to all citizens, regardless of race.